Heartbroken
by EchoesOfTheNight
Summary: Cinder has always lived as her sister's shadow, never having real friends or anyone who cares about her. Her own mother chose the worst duty for her in the band, and for moons she feels like she has nothing... until she finds love. But with a mean sister, a cold mother, and heartless friends, what she thinks may be a turning point for her may make her life ever worse than before.
1. Allegiances

**Allegiances**

_**Band of Storms**_**  
Leader 1: **Birdsky- brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes (Hunter)

**Leader 2: **Darksky- black tom with white underbelly (Guard)

**Proxy 1: **Dustclaw- ticked sandy brown tom with yellow eyes (Explorer)

**Proxy 2: **Stormcloud- mottled gray tom (Hunter)

**Medic: **Rainheart**\- **light gray she-cat, deep blue eyes

**Novice, **White

**Protectors:** (Full-fledged members)

Heatherfang- dark gray she-cat with pale eyes (Hunter)

**Novice, **Pine

Nightbreeze- black tom (Fighter)

Dawnblaze- Lovely creamy she-cat (Guard)

**Novice, **Smoke

Muddynose- white tom with splash of brown across muzzle (Explorer)

Tigerstripe- Striped ginger tom (Gatherer)

Cloudshine- fluffy white she-cat with piercing blue eyes (Fighter)

Riverhawk- Blue-gray tom (Hunter)

Leopardheart- Golden tabby she-cat with green eyes (Hunter)

**Novice, **Fox

Ivystorm- gray tom with bright green eyes (Guard)

Darkleap- Gray and black tabby tom (Gatherer)

Rosethorn- brown she with dark hazel eyes (Explorer)

**Novices: **(In training to become protectors, must be 7 moons)

Pine**\- **thick furred tawny she (Hunter)

Fox- Red tom with amber eyes (Hunter)

White- Brown tom with white paws and underbelly (Medic)

**Junior Novices: **(Between 4 and 7 moons)

Smoke- black tabby she-cat with dark dray flecks (Guard)

**Mothers and kits: **(Mothers expecting or nursing kits under 4 moons)

Silverdawn- silver she-cat (Mother to Leaf (Silver tom), Flame (Ginger tom), and Fawn(Spotted she-kit)

Willowsong- beautiful dappled she-cat with soft green-blue eyes

**Elders: **(Former protectors and queens, now retired)

Barkspots- tortoiseshell tom

Lostfur- furless tom

**Prologue coming next! Hope you all will like it :)**

**Anyway, you may be confused with the allegiances, so let me explain everything to you**

**The Band of Storms is a group of cats based off of the clans. They have a large territory that is halfway under trees, and halfway out in the open**

**There are two leaders, each named Sky at the end after the cats of the Band of Skies (Their ancestors)**

**There are two proxies, one for each leader, who are next to be leader**

**There is a medic and a novice chosen by Band of Skies**

**There are protectors, who have full length names and preform specific duties. Duties include: Hunting (Finding prey), Fighting (Fighting off strangers and enemies), Guarding (Watching the camp and taking out patrols to search the territory), Exploring (To find any new landmarks worth knowing), and Gathering (Find materials such as moss and herbs, while also cleaning the camp out)**

**Novices are cats in training to become protectors; they must be at least 7 moons**

**Once 4 moons, kits leave the nursery to become a junior novice, who train only in designated areas near the camp for safety**

**A cat's duty is selected by their parents**

**Mothers may perform their duties, but only between sunhigh and sunset, but not if they have been expecting for half a moon or longer**

**Rules of the Band:  
1\. Follow the orders of any cat higher than you, no exceptions**

**2\. Murder is not permitted within the band, but trespassers and enemies can be killed clean and painlessly**

**3\. Never leave the territory without permission**

**4\. A cat may only have one mate**

**5\. Stick to your own duty, unless in dire emergences**

**The consequences for breaking the rules in order are…**

**First rule break: Spend all day cleaning**

**Second rule break: Stuck at camp for half a moon**

**Third rule break: Swear an oath in front of whole band that you will stay loyal**

**Fourth rule break: Treated as a prisoner for a moon**

**Fifth rule break: Killed or exiled, their personal choice**

**I hope you like my idea! :) **


	2. Prologue

"You shouldn't judge me just because of what I look like! It isn't fair, I have just as many feelings as all of you! Please, just leave me alone!"

**Prologue**

Nothing but darkness and silence, that is all I have known since my soul has ever existed in this domain. I know I haven't been anywhere for long at all, but frankly, I need to get out of this place as soon as I can. The tranquility of this dark, wet world is growing unbearable, and I can't help but kick my back leg impatiently on the lining of the sac, having it bounce back towards me quickly. _Whatever this place is, _I think to myself, turning in the tight watery ball, _it's gotten really cramped._

I feel wriggle beside me, which I quickly recognize as another kit's movement. Maybe it feels just as cooped up as I do, and maybe it wants to get out too, with a dream to have its freedom. I stay still, letting myself float in the gel-like substance surrounding me, and I slowly let myself drift back into sleep, which is all I've been doing for a long long time, but no matter what how still I stay I can't fall asleep. There seems to be a disturbance all around me, everything feels… tighter than usual. The kit beside me is still too, and I wonder if it feels the same- or if it's just asleep.

There is a long, suspenseful stillness all around us, and I suddenly feel myself start to shake with a ripple erupting everywhere around me. I feel the other kit move from my side, leaving into a new void and creating a new emptiness. I start to wonder if this is the end, if this was my entire sad life. This other kit and I, do we get nothing? There is a brief stillness, but then another ripple pushes at me. I find myself moving, as I'm being squeezed through a tunnel into the same void the other kit went into. I brace myself for an end, when suddenly, the pressure lightens up on me.

_Am I dead? _I wonder briefly, though I don't have a real clue of what's going on right now, for I can only feel around myself. The slippery walls of my sac split open from underneath me, and I feel myself tumble into the a world. I gurgle as I feel a damp, bristly touch on my fur, whipping it up the wrong way. I decide to show my strength to whatever is trying to harass me, and I let out a mewl of protest. The strokes stop and I am lifted off the ground by the scruff of my neck. I mewl again, this time louder and even more powerful. I'm dropped near a new feeling of familiar warmth, and I relax in serenity. Whatever this big shape of fur is, it feels like I've known it before somehow, and I feel perfectly safe around it.

Sounds and voices come from all around, but I can't understand any of them. I turn to my side, soon aware of another kit next to me. I recognize this kit as the one who was trapped with me before, and I already seem to have a close bond with her. A bond that is unbreakable.

A new feeling stirs up in my belly, and I can't stop another sound from coming out of me. For a while nothing else happens, but then the other kit mews hungrily and a fluffy rope brings us both closer to the furless part of the shape we are near. A tempting scent comes from a bump on the skin, and I latch my mouth onto it and begin to suckle. Milk comes from the bump and I drink it greedily, pulling at it to get as much of the delicious liquid as I possibly can.

The other kitten is beside me, drinking away, and I sip the milk with her. The kit soon falls from the belly and slows her breaths sleepily, but I'm still hungry, so I continue to drink. Before I can get enough I'm forced off the bump, and curled around by the big cat.

_Mother, _a voice says in my head, _Sister._

So that's who they are, my mother and sister. I don't know how I know what they are, but I do, so I decide to give into whatever my kin wants. I slow my breathing just like my sister did, and I fall asleep beside her, my thoughts growing peaceful and sedative.

…

"They're so cute!"

"Well not exactly the gray one, but the black one definitely is!"

"I know, she's the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

I purr as many of my friends and kin compliment my new young babies. I couldn't agree more that they are adorable, but in a way, something about the gray kit is kind of unappealing. I suppose if you get past the flat, crooked face that she is pretty cute, but the other kit is absolutely perfect.

"My love," I hear the voice of my mate and leader, Darksky, as he comes into the nursery. "They're stunning."

I stare at him through gentle eyes, giving my paws a few laps. "They are beautiful, just like their father," I chirp, earning the loving sighs from cats around us. Darksky settles onto the ground beside my mossy heap, and gives the black kit a lap between the ears. "What do you want to name them?"

"I do like the name Shade for the black one, do you?"

"It's perfect," He smiles, "But what about that gray one? Crooked? I mean, she is kind of-"

"Of course not!" I exclaim, "That's a horrendous name, can't we just stick with something like Cinder?"

Darksky scowls, but his anger fades away in heartbeats. "Anything you want, my dear." He meows, "And I suppose I should let you rest now."

I nod, nuzzling his temple. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," He beams back at me before leaving the den, and I curl up to rest. Almost as soon as I shut my eyes, I fall asleep.

…

_I wake in a foreign land, one I have never seen before. Turquoise waves of water lap at the sand ahead of it, and the water reflects the pool of stars overhead. I look around, noticing that this is exactly how the Band of Stars was described to me before. Is this what it looks like? And how was I chosen to come here?_

"_Greeting, Willowsong," I am snapped from my thoughts by a new voice, one soft and full of wisdom. I whirl around and dip my head to the ancestor, knowing I'm lucky enough to be in her presence. "What an honor," I mew formally, but the cat only chuckles. _

"_I do thank you for the greeting, but I'm here to deliver a message," The ancestor says, her eyes sparkling in a way that resembles the night sky._

"_What?" I ask, "Like a prophecy?"_

"_No," The cat turns her head and smiles. "More like a warning."_

_I prod the ground with my paw. "Would you be kind enough as to tell me?"_

"_I won't leave you in suspense," She says. "Remember to not forget what's inside of a cat's heart. Don't mix up the bad and the good. Answers won't come to you, and for your own life you must never be swayed by the outside."_

_I tilt my head. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

"_It's for you to find out," the ancestor meows, and suddenly she turns, her pelt fading. I watch as she climbs up an invisible hill into the sky, and I do my best to bid my goodbye. Soon enough, the world around me begins to fade away as well. And with every second that passes by, I feel myself growing further and further away from this place, until it's nowhere at all. _

…

**I'm so happy I finally began this story. I've had this idea for a while now, but I think can finally put it into words now. Anyway, I know I'm not amazing at writing or anything like that just yet, but really, I'd really appreciate no flaming, it's kind of offensive when I try to write. For you guys I will do my best, and put 2,500 words or so into each chapter. I'm actually only in 7****th**** grade, and it isn't like I'm professional, or anything. I'm also making up a chapter tradition now, where I will make a vote about some random topic for fun! If you review, not that you have to, I would like for you to give any advice if you are a more experienced writer thank I am. I would **_**really, really, really **_**appreciate it! **

**Anyway, here is my first vote!**

**Which would you like the warriors community to make more?**

**A 3D online warriors rpg, or a single movie of Into the Wild?**

**Review your answer, if you want to share! Thanks so much for reading! **

**~Echo**


	3. Ignored

**A/N: Hi again! How are you? Anyway I found the time to write this, so here it is! Another thing, I'm not going to be keeping 2,500, since it's kind of hard to write so much on short notice. I'll be changing up the length of the chapters so it resembles a real book a bit more, but I promise to **_**never **_**go below 500 words, that would just be too short... We'll see what I do here, because I'm honestly not sure where this will go. So this is chapter 1, enjoy!**

I wonder how long it's been since I entered this new world. It hasn't been too long, I'm certain of that, but so many things have happened already! My ears unfolded, and it's now much easier to hear, and I'm starting to understand what the other cats are saying now, and it's not just a bunch of jumbled voices anymore. I've been addressed as "Cinder" for a while now, so whenever I hear that be said I turn my head towards the voice. The other kit has been addressed as Shade, and I hear that name said many more times than I've heard my own.

"Shade is adorable!" Some cats would say.

"Shade is sweetest kit I've ever seen!" I've also heard. Though I don't know what the words mean exactly, I can tell that they're saying nice things about her. I'm starting to wish that I'd be talked about more, but I don't complain. I must be "cute" too, whatever the word means. I turn in my nest with discomfort, soon snuggling back onto my mother's fur. Her warmth courses into me, and I let out a soft purr.

My peace is interrupted by a new voice, one I've never heard before. It's quiet and soft, but strangely familiar. "Mama," Is what the voice says, and I soon recognize it as my sister's. "Honey you opened your eyes!" My mother's voice purrs. She gets up, leaving me to tumble over, and I crawl back to her with a mew of protest. She ignores me. "How wonderful!"

_Eyes? _I wonder. _What are eyes?_

I'm soon determined to find out. Crawling up to my mother, I decide I'm going to see how to open my _eyes_. First thing I open is low on my face. I open and close it, but nobody seems to take notice. _So that must not be eyes. _A part of my face that is above what I just opened is still closed. _Maybe those are eyes!_

With some effort, I manage to figure out how to blink open the two little circles on my head. Everything is still black, but after a moment I can see colors in a blur. "Mama?" I echo, looking toward a shape of brown. Fuzzy green-blue circles, maybe _her_ eyes, look to me. "So you've opened them too," she says distantly, without a care. "That's… great."

I can tell her voice isn't as enthusiastic as before. Did I do something wrong? "MAMA!" I say it louder, determined to make myself noticed, but I'm ignored again. _Why won't anyone pay attention to me?_

**A/N: Well, it didn't go below 500… So sorry for the shortness! There is nothing else I could put here that would flow, so yeah. Anyway, the poll of the day!**

**What would you rather do?**

**Create a warriors website with 1000 members**

**Write a warriors fanfiction with 1000 reviews**

**Make a warriors animation with 1000 likes**

**Review your answer, if you want! I already have 111 views :) **


	4. Struggling

**Whoa! Thank you all so much for all the reviews last chapter! It means a ton :) It's just like a course of happiness floods through me each time I read one, so if you were kind enough to leave one after reading… thank you :D**

**Because of the amount I decided to take the time to answer reviews in this story for all chapters. Here are the chapter 3 reviews:**

**Happyascanbe83: Thanks Ava! I'm happy you came to read it, hehe**

"**Unises": Oh… well honestly I was in a bit of a rush. Thanks though :)**

**TheHiddenLight: I think so too, but you know…**

"**Guest": Thank you! And yes, I'll be sure to make longer chapters**

"**Warriorcatzfan": I will :D**

**Leafmistofskyclan: Yeah poor Cinder, Teehee**

**Wolfheart the Betrayed: I know, it makes me said writing it. Maybe Willowsong will come to her senses**

**QLKwriter: I know, and thank you!**

**The Guardian of the Sky: Thanks :3**

**Birdflame: She doesn't, she doesn't… And I shall right now after 10 million years**

**Anyway this will be a pretty filling episode, so enjoy!  
**

Just two moons have passed. Two moons may seem like a small number to some cats, but how can so much go wrong in those couple of moons? I've lost everything I had even a grasp on that would be considered happy or joyful, and everything in my life so far is so unfair. My appearance may not be stunning, but it seems that is all these cats care about. They judge me by my crooked eyes, my bent muzzle, my thick build, and my attitude doesn't change a thing. I've been nothing but kind to the other kits and queens, but everyone, even my own mother, is very cold in response.

"You look really good today!" I've once told the eldest she-kit, Fawn. She looked at me indifferently that day, and I still held a warm smile despite her glare, until she gave me the simple response; "Well, you do not." My heart has been broken by these cats numerous times, it's like they think it doesn't even ruffle my fur. Well do they know just how much feeling I have? Do they realize how much I struggle to hold in a cry every here and there? I haven't even bothered trying to talk to the tom-kits, who knows how bad they might be, and yet one of them is always staring at me. _Am I that ugly?_ I always wondered, but I still think that the answer to that question is yes.

My sister Shade and I were really close at the beginning. We would always get into some kind of fun mischief together. When we got caught, I always got in trouble, but Shade stood up for me anyway. We always played together, and I felt we were inseparable, but then one day things changed. Our father, Darksky, came to the nursery to visit his beloved kit, who of course was Shade. He brought her a plump, juicy mouse for her first prey. I got a soggy, skinny, and possibly old shrew. Darksky seemed, at the time, happy for a little while, but he then caught Shade sharing some of her mouse with me, since I was "unlucky" to have "accidentally" received a bad one. He asked her sternly why she was sharing with a complaining rat (in which I was not doing), and she responded that she just wanted me to have a little taste of her meal, since mine wasn't so nice. Darksky shot me a glare, I remember, one nasty and frightening. He then asked Shade to come outside with him for a private chat, and after that day Shade never spoke kindly with me again.

These memories will haunt me forever. _Why_, I silently ask myself, _did I have to be born this way? _My head lays face-down into my mossy nest, and I flatten my ears in an attempt to block out the chattering of kits behind me.

"Let's play a game!" the cheerful voice of my sister chirps.

"What game?" Asks the eldest tom-kit, Flame, in his surprisingly mature sounding voice.

"How about a game of war?" Leaf suggests with a small play growl.

I let my head rise onto my paws, gazing at the others longingly. I consider asking them if I can play too, but my shyness takes over me. With all the insults I've been receiving, it's almost impossible to not be nervous around other cats. A sense of hatred lurks inside of me when I look at them, seeing their laughing faces, hearing their sing-song voices. Everything is so perfect for them, and I just… hate them, and I get the incentive that they all feel the same way.

"Alright, sure," Flame says. "Let's partner up! Shade and I against Leaf and Fawn?"

"Oh it's on!" Fawn chuckles with a swish of her tail. I stare mindlessly for a while, and I soon notice that Flame is looking right at me. I catch myself gawking at him and quickly turn away. _I need an excuse, I need an excuse, _I grow hot with embarrassment. _I'll ask to play. The worst they can do is say no, right?_

"Oh, um," I stand up and shake the moss off my pelt. "Do you mind if I join in as well?"

The kits exchanged surprised glances at first. I bet their thinking something like; "Wow, Cinder is actually talking again!" The surprise dies away very quickly though, as Fawn sniggers at me. "You?" She says smugly. "Play with us? I bet-"

Shade cuts her off with a tail to the face, and answers for her. "Uh, we just can't let you play because there's only two to a team. It would be unfair."

"Oh," I mumble, looking down. "Okay, that's fine." It isn't like I expected anything else. I'm about to turn around and head outside where I won't be shamed any longer, when a voice says. "Why can't she play?"

I look up towards Flame, staring with shock. _He actually wants me to play? _The ginger tom flicks his ear seriously, and then smiles. "She can join Leaf and Fawn, I'm sure they'll need the help to defeat us!"

I can tell they are about to protest, so I interrupt. "No, it's alright, maybe another time."

Flame tilts his head, "You sure?"

I nod quickly in response and leave the nursery as casually as I can manage to appear, not bothering to look behind me. When I'm outside, a nice Greenleaf breeze laps gently at my fur, and I sigh against the wind. My life may seem terrible, but I'm used to it at this point. I guess you can't miss what you never had, could you?

Few cats linger outside at this point, with most either doing their duties or simply taking a walk. Riverhawk, a blue gray tom is standing at the foot of the prey pile, dropping off a pair of mice and a vole. Barkspots and Lostfur, the two elders of the clan, are sitting outside as well, nibbling away on a fresh young hare. Choosing to go without being noticed, I press my side up against the rocky walls out the nursery, and slink towards the back. Since the day my sister and I were allowed to leave the den, the back of it has been soft of my safe haven. Here I can sulk without anyone seeing, hide from my cruel tormenters, and even talk to myself without any cat thinking I've gone insane. If the conditions of the outside were even near as good as they were inside, I'd sleep out here every day!

I settle down onto my haunches, and soon drop to my belly, curling my soft tail around my furry body. I ponder on what I'm going to do today, my nose twitching pensively. "I guess another day of talking to myself." I mumble aloud, tail tip twitching. "The kits are so mean, even when I'm nice. I hate them so much! I wish I could just… outdo them all." I pause with a sigh. "Too bad I can't…"

My voice breaks off with a crack, and for a moment I'm afraid I'm about to melt down again. _I have to stay strong. If I moan about everything nobody will think me great, ever…_

I suck in the cries that threaten to come, and breathe out hesitantly. I'm surprised and delighted when my breath doesn't shudder. _Maybe I am becoming a little stronger. _A small sense of victory floods through me. _I hope I can further overcome this sensitivity!_

The feeling of triumph soon fades away as I hear a sickening voice, one deep, harsh, and awfully familiar. "Crooked," The sound of my father, Darksky, rumbles angrily behind me. "What are you doing here?"

"I-It's Cinder…" I stutter weakly, my voice hardly even a croak, and shaking with fear of the much larger tom.

"Don't you talk back to me unless I ask you a question!" Darksky hisses, cuffing my ear with unsheathed claws. Though his movement was gentle, it still leaves a stinging feeling of pain. Darksky huffs with annoyance. "I asked what you were doing here."

"I'm uh, s-sorry," I mew, looking down at the space on the ground between my two paws. "I'm not doing anything, really."

My father snorts, cuffing me yet again in the same spot, making the pain sting even more. I flinch, my head hanging as far down as it can go. Darksky barely notices my pain. "Well, _Crooked_, you are outside of the camp." He meows roughly, his voice cold. "Can you explain that to me?"

"B-but I'm not!" I protest quietly, and I'm cuffed a third time, but this time on my other ear. Darksky snarls. "You still talk back to me, lying that you aren't outside of the territory. It is _not _for kits!"

I think about telling him that my sister, Shade, leaves camp often, but knowing better, I bite my tongue. There is no talking for a while, when the big tom snarls. "If you think you aren't out of camp currently…" He draws a large paw and shoves me into the tangles of bramble protecting the camp. "Then you are now, and you should be punished for it."

I'm shaking with a mixture of hurt, sadness, and anger as I drag myself out of the thicket, tufts of gray fur left behind. Darksky glares at me, as if waiting for me to whimper and whine. And for a while I'm successful... but it doesn't last long. My mouth involuntarily opens to let out a small cry, and I fall dejectedly to the ground. I don't look at my father, but I'm almost certain he is smirking above me. Shoulders heaving, I wail as little as I can manage into my paws. For a moment, I think he's gone, but when I look up, he isn't.

"I didn't even get to tell you the punishment." He growls. "Because of you deciding to wrongly leave the camp, I am holding back your junior ceremony by a moon. No buts, No excuses, and most importantly: No talking back."

I flatten my ears, taking an intimidated scooch backward. "O-okay…"

"Now get back in the nursery."

I obey Darksky and pad in, ears pinned to the back of my head and tail sliding across the ground. I'm hardly aware of the stares that follow me, and even less aware that they turn away to something else. After I drop into the corner, I turn my head slowly to find my father leaning into the nursery.

"Hi, Father!" Shade says with a smile. "Do you need something?"

_Oh no,_ I mutter in my head, knowing he's just going to bring up what had happened only moments before.

Our father nods slowly towards me. "This one here left camp without permission, and because of that her junior ceremony is being held off by a moon." There are a few snickers from Leaf and Fawn when Darksky breaks off, in which aren't even silenced. The leader continues. "If any of you catch her leaving camp again, be sure to tell me immediately. Also, you might want to come outside… something important is about to happen."

Silverdawn's kits exchanged excited glances, and their mother prods each with a paw. "What do you think you're doing?" She says with a smile. "Get groomed!"

Leaf, Flame, and Fawn obey, lapping quickly at their paws and drawing it over their ears. Silverdawn licks the head of Flame, and he turns at her with a tame scowl. "I can groom myself, Mother!"

Willowsong chuckles at this, drawing Shade close to her with a tail. "You're going to do this in only two moons!" She exclaims rather quietly. "Oh, you're getting so old!"

I stifle a sigh. Because of Darksky, I don't get to do this in only two moons. I have to wait three. "Well get your hindquarters out there, kits!" Silverdawn purrs, breaking into my sad thoughts. The mother pushes her kits out the threshold of the nursery, with Willowsong and Shade following. I hear the call of Birdsky, knowing that the gathering is about to begin.

When the others kits and queens have left the nursery, I pad outside, and sit at the back of the group of cats. I look up to find that Birdsky has left her spot, replaced with the other leader; Darksky. I learned well that as first leader, Birdsky calls the band together and only stays to think of battle plans, or make important decisions. Darksky, as second leader, replaces Birdsky on the rock for ceremonies, where he gets to name protectors, decide mentors, or make a few unimportant announcements.

"May the Band of Storms be gathered!" Darksky calls, repeating the same words as Birdsky, and a few more cats sit down. "Today we get to change the ranks of a few kits to junior novices. Leaf, Flame, Fawn; step forward!"

The three kits bounce with excitement as they stand beside their leader on the rock, staring up at the leader expectantly. _They're barely more than just kits, personality wise, _I think with amusement. _At least I'll be a little more mature than that. _

When I stop thinking, I realized I missed the vows, but I don't really care. I doubt they, or anyone else, is going to listen when _I_ say vows. "Leaf, as a fighter, your new mentor will be Nightbreeze!"

"Leaf, Nightbreeze, Leaf, Nightbreeze!" The band yowls below, glad to finally have more fighters.

"Flame, as a hunter, your mentor will be Stormcloud!" Shouts Darksky, and Flame looks to him with surprise, as if he can't believe he gets a proxy mentor.

"Flame, Stormcloud, Flame, Stormcloud!" The cheers come again, and soon settle into another silence. Darksky now looks toward the last she-kit. "Fawn, because your parents decided it, you are an explorer, and your new mentor will be Muddynose!"

"Fawn, Muddynose, Fawn, Muddynose!" Chants the band, and all three junior novices stand proudly. _I hope I become a hunter; I'd like to be out of camp by myself all the time. Plus, hunting sounds like a lot of fun._

"A couple more announcements," Darksky continues after the kits leapt down. "Smoke has become old enough to become a full novice and is now able to leave camp, and Leopardheart is moving to the nursery expecting Dustclaw's kits!"

Happy murmurs ring about the cats below, until Darksky concludes; "Dismissed!" Most of the cats enter their dens, for the sun is just about set, but the night patrols are just about to leave. I walk towards the nursery, shoulders slumped down, ready for another night to sleep, but before I can get into the den, I'm stopped by two others cats. A pair of yellow eyes glare smugly into mine, as Fawn blocks my way with her brother next to her.

"Go away," I mumble, my voice hardly audible, but they don't leave. Fawn prods my chest with a snort. "Look at you, thinking you're so special, trying to avoid cats older than you."

"I just want to go in my den!" My mumble turns into a whine. Leaf laughs. "Why don't you sleep outside, your sister doesn't need a cat like you always snoozing on her."

My gaze darts around as I feel the need to get away. The two cats take a step closer to me, and I dart away. I hardly know what's happening right now, but I find myself in a warm den soon after. I take in a breath of scented air, looking around to find herbs rested all around. "What are you doing here, kit?" A soft voice meows, and I turn towards a light gray she-cat, her not-pretty face looking towards me with concern. "You looked as if you were running from something."

I say softly. "Nothing important, it was a… a game."

"A game was it?" The cat tilts her head. "What is your name, kit?"

"Cinder," I answer, and a flash of recognition flashes into the gray she-cats face.

"Oh yes, I remember you. I helped during your kitting. I'm Rainheart, the medic. Now I don't think you were playing a game, why don't you tell me what really happened?"

I do exactly as Rainheart asks, basically explaining all my life so far; my sister's betrayal, the teasing, and the chasing away. Her deep blue eyes are full of sympathy, and she nods towards me. "I know exactly how you feel, in fact, I was teased myself back when I was young. I didn't get any respect until The Band of Skies chose me to be a medic."

"Really?" I ask, feeling bad. "I didn't know anyone else was going through this."

"Well I may not be anymore, but the memories haunt me still." She closes her eyes sadly. "Would you like to talk to the ancestors?"

"Ancestors?!" I echo with disbelief. "How?"

The medic smiles at me. "Sleeping here, under the opening in the roof during a new moon allows you to travel to the skies. It's what I did when I was small; they gave wonderful guidance to me. Perhaps you should try."

"I-I'd love to, but-"

"Don't question it, or you shouldn't go at all." Rainheart says, a tad bit sternly. "I do not need to visit them tonight, but you seem like you need it. Please, do as I ask?"

I nod quickly, and Rainheart nudges me beneath the opening. "I'm going to sleep now as well. When you do fall asleep your soul will leave your body. It will be a wondrous thing for you, and you are very lucky I'm letting you do this."

"I am, thank you!" I settle into the large, plush moss pile. _I wonder if Willowsong and Shade notice I'm gone, _I say to myself as I shut my eyes. _I doubt they care, though. Spirit cats, here I come!_

**Whoa, long chapter there! Did that make up for the month-long wait? I hope nobody is upset this took so long, because that would stink, hehe. **

**Anyway, I'm proud to announce that I got into a very advanced summer camp to learn about DNA and genetics. I know it's a brag, but I'm so excited!**

**Now for the poll:**

**Would you rather…**

** Change into a warrior cat for your whole life**

** Become a warrior cat when you sleep**

** Not be a warrior cat at all, you only like to read about them.**

**I'd choose the second option. Anyway, please review? It means a lot! Thanks so much!**

**~Echo**


	5. Jealousy

**Hey guys! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, it means a ton! **

**When I say it means a ton… **

**It means that when I read an individual response I get a prick of delight in me**

**It means I squeal if I get up to five reviews in one chapter**

**It means when people ask me to continue, I really want to**

**It means when I become an author (**_**If **_**I do), I will remember each little person who helped along the way…**

…

**Okay, I was a little weird there. But now it's time for review answering! **

**andrew. - Wow, thanks for the reviews but… what the heck xD Thanks anyway!**

**TheHiddenLight- Thank you so much! I admit I did rush the last part of the chapter because it was like, overflowing with words. I wanted to finish.**

**LeafmistOfSkyclan- On the inside Cinder is beautiful. Let's hope the other cats will see that someday**

"**Unises"- Thanks a ton! It means a lot :) Oh, and where does this ladder end?**

"**WarriorCatzFan"- Me too! It's like having two separate lives.**

**Birdflame- I agree, I agree**

**3SnowFox3- Thank you! :D You make me smile**

**QLKwriter- It is cool. With Cinder having a flatter face, there doesn't seem to be a proper muzzle to create symmetry. Her flat muzzle is a bit crooked, and her eyes seem to follow that. They also think that her build isn't the nicest either, making them see her as ugly.**

** .com- There will be more! Also I like your user xD**

**Happyascanbe83- Yeah, she deserved at least someone didn't she? I can't be **_**too **_**cruel on poor Cinder. I try to keep things realistic here, for example, when Darksky cuffed her but gently. Its just not right to have everything against her **_**as**_** bad as possible!**

**Now that that's done and over with, it's time to write!**

_I must be dreaming, or I might be drowning. Darkness engulfs all of my vision. I don't know what's going on, where I am, or where I'm going, but a sense of importance floods throughout my body. _

_And then I wake up._

_A new world greets me as I slowly open up my fogged-up eyes. I briefly shake my head to clear the blur, and stare around in awe. Everything is so perfect, not a pebble out of place; the sand glows, the water shines, and the sky looks like a cluster of crystals. I forget about why I'm here as I am in the midst of staring, but I soon remember once again. It takes effort to break my vision from the territory, but once I do I begin to walk. _

_I feel like my paws have a mind of their own, taking me to wherever I must need to go. In one sense I know I have never seen this place before, but in another I know so much about it. I suppose you could say that my mind is swirling with confusions, and at the same time I know I can trust it. It's an aura of everything perfect; and it's impossible to feel out of place. I'm thinking and concentrating so hard on these strange instincts that I hardly notice that I have stopped walking. What I do notice is the strong scent of another cat nearby, and I look up to see a ginger and white tabby she-cat, her amber eyes full of wisdom and faith. For a while there's a silence, but the she-cat opens her jaws to speak. "Welcome to the Band of Skies, Cinder."_

_With a gasp I take a step back, bowing for the ancestor in front of me. A deep purr erupts from her, and I feel a paw gently pushing my head upward. "You have no need to bow to me," She mews in a soft voice. "I am Sunsky, leader before Birdsky. I was alive when my daughter was pregnant with you."_

_My voice stutters as I murmur back; "S-So you're my… kin?" _

_Sunsky nods, her tail flicking. I look back into her shining eyes with respect. "I am honored to meet you."_

"_No, Cinder," Sunsky shakes her head with opposition. "I'm honored to meet _you_. Now you must follow me. We have places to be." And with that she turns tail and pads away, obviously expecting me to follow, and I do. We walk for a while, the domain only getting more and more beautiful. I get lost in the lovely singing of the birds, and before I know it we arrive in a clearing full of other ancestor cats. _

"_Cinder," Says Sunsky in a soothing tone. "We are here for you. Tell us your story. We are the best listeners you will ever meet."_

_The other cats nod their agreement, at least a dozen of them, all looking at me through their wise eyes expectantly. "Well… I…" I pause to look at Sunsky, who gives me a nod. "I was born two moons ago with my sister, Shade. My mother and father never liked me because of my looks, and they swayed my sister away from me with them. Everyone teases me, and I don't have any friends. I just recently ran away into the medic's den, and she suggested I talked to… all of you!"_

_A black tom speaks up as I finish my short story. "That is correct. We sent her the message for you to come here. Cinder, you are important, we can't have you feeling any other way."_

_I turn towards another voice, a charcoal colored she-cat, her blazing yellow eyes staring into mine. "Yes, you are here for a reason. Stand in the center of us, and we will give you our blessing."_

_I can't believe what's happening. _A blessing from Spirit Cats? Why me? How me?_ But I could never disagree to such a thing, so I do as they say, settling down on a flat rock that is buried deep into the earth. _

_The cats speak together, voices chimed in unison. "Let this young cat fulfil all she can. Let her get up after every struggle and every fall. Let her return in peace and become one with us."_

_And then, I'm knocked out. _

**...**  
I leap to my paws as soon as I open my eyes, looking around wildly. Rainheart walks over to me, her head tilting. "What did you see, young one?"

I shake my head a few times, trying to grasp every little detail. "Well, I met Sunsky… and a bunch of other spirit cats. They gave me a blessing!"

The medic looks surprised, and meows. "I hardly believe it. The last time I've heard of a cat being blessed was… White… and she was to be a medic."

"It's weird," I say, "But I'm starving, I think I should get something to eat."

Rainheart nods towards me. "I won't stop you from leaving. And if you ever want to speak with me about anything, you know where to find me."

"Of course," I murmur, looking down at my growling belly. "Well, I'll see you soon. Thank you, Rainheart…"

The medic's eyes light up. "You're welcome. Goodbye."

"Farewell."  
I turn around with a grateful expression upon my face and pad outside, looking down at my paws. I'm too deep into my thoughts to realize I've come right up to a cat, and I crash right into a blur of ginger fur. I drop to my flanks and look up, startled.

"I'm so sorry!" Flame exclaims, his piercing eyes gazing into mine. "I should've looked where I was going."

I start to feel hot under my fur, and murmur back to him. "No, it was my fault, I-" I stop talking as Flame helps me up with his large forepaw, his face still holding apology. I'm about to thank him, when he mutters. "Don't mention it."

"I, um, okay, thanks." I know I must sound like a complete idiot, but everything about Flame is so amazing. How can I act straight around someone as great as him? _Is this love? _I wonder, looking down and up again with a soft gaze. The ginger tom smiles at me, and looks as if he's about to say something, when my sister pads up to us. "What's going on here?" Shade asks Flame steadily.

"Eh, nothing much." Flame shrugs, looking no happier (or less happier) than before. "I was just discussing a few things with Cinder."

Shade looks at me and huffs. "Well, okay, but I was wondering if you could help me with hunting and stuff."

Flame looks towards me, nods, and turns the black she-cat once more. "You're planning on becoming a hunter? Alright, follow me then!"

Flame pads off and Shade follows, neither taking a look behind themselves, leaving me to watch them go dejectedly.

_Urgh! The one time I actually like a cat, my perfect sister has to as well! _I fume up with anger momentarily, which soon melts into sadness. I barely think about it much longer when I dart back towards the medicine den, eager for the comfort of sweet Rainheart. Once I enter, the medic looks at me, her novice beside her, and her gaze says she doesn't need an explanation. She beckons me over with her tail and I gladly follow.

"I'm sorry," The gray she-cat murmurs, and I bury my head into her chest. The medic novice, White, gives us a glare, but doesn't further comment. The young brown tom simply sorts out herbs with his back turned. I'm leaned against Rainheart for a little while, when she looks up with a small jolt. I lift my head as well, wondering what she was startled about.

"Rainheart, what…?"

"Shh," A soft tail greets my mouth. "I think you should go outside."

When I hesitate, Rainheart mews: "Go on!"

With a grumble, I get up, a bit upset that she's kicking me out. _The only cat who accepts me is now shooing me away. Great. _But when I step outside, a bright ginger pelt greets me once again.

"Flame!" I stammer. "I- Hello!"

A deep chuckle comes from the junior novice, and I get warm with embarrassment. Flame pads around me once and meows; "I finished training with Shade, and I was wondering if you wanted to be next." He then adds silently; "I hope you will be a bit easier."

I laugh, a bit too loudly, but the auburn tom doesn't seem to care. Again humiliated, I clear my throat and nod. Flame beams at me, and beckons me to follow with his tail. I trek after him happily, soon aware of an icy blue glare.

_Well sister, you've betrayed me once, and now it's my turn._

**Okay, okay, a little shorter than planned, but I'm just so busy all of the sudden. I hate growing up. **

**And hey, I got a state award in math. Go me! **

**Now for the chapterly (New word I made up) poll!**

**If you were Flame, would you rather…**

**Go with Shade**

**Go with Cinder**

**Stay out of the drama**

**Honestly I'd go with choice 3 if I were really in that position. What about you?**

**Please review and I might give you an orange.**


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